The access speed exceeds 7GBps, providing 1TB, 2TB, 4TB large capacity options.
Sabrent’s new Rocket 4 Plus G solid state drive, this PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe interface product, is advertised as equipped with O₂ game-optimized firmware. In addition to maintaining high performance, it is also optimized for the Microsoft DirectStorage API.
The Rocket 4 Plus G will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, with reference prices of $169.99, $299.99, and $699.99, respectively, and an optional $29.99 dedicated radiator. However, the Rocket 4 Plus G is still in the pre-order stage, and Sabrent has not released complete specifications. The official website only mentions the use of TLC 3D NAND, and the maximum transfer speed exceeds 7GBps.
The O₂ game-optimized firmware may be understood in this way. The ability to maintain high performance after playing games for a long time is similar to the so-called dirty disk performance. They have worked hard to adjust the firmware for this. As for the DirectStorage API, the access actions performed by typical environment game loading may only utilize Queue Depth 1~2, and the performance is naturally not high. Under the DirectStorage API architecture, data can be accessed at the same time with a higher queue depth, releasing the performance of solid-state drives and shortening the waiting time.
However, whether the optimization of the DirectStorage API is a gimmick, we have to wait for the ecosystem to be officially formed (next year?) before we can verify it through actual testing and other means. After all, the current NVMe interface solid-state drives support far more queue depths than the previous AHCI, depending on how the manufacturer adjusts the optimal performance range. When it comes to the DirectStorage API, there is something that needs to be re-adjusted, or it is just a fit factor that is good at it, it may take time to prove.
